Denmark-Norway (Christian IV)/Civilopedia
Denmark-Norway History Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the united kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including overseas Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Northern Isles. Following the departure of Sweden from the Kalmar Union, and its subsequent dissolution, in 1524 Denmark and Norway entered into another personal union, under Danish hegemony. In 1536 the kingdom of Norway was formally dissolved and integrated into Denmark, and as a consequence its Council of the Realm was abolished. However, Norway continued to have separate institutions and its own laws. Norway was re-established as a kingdom in 1660 after the introduction of absolutism. The personal union of the two kingdoms lasted until 1814, when Norway was ceded to Sweden by the House of Oldenburg after Denmark–Norway's defeat in the Napoleonic Wars. Christian IV History Christian IV, sometimes colloquially referred to as Christian Firtal in Denmark and Christian Kvart or Quart in Norway, was a monarch of the House of Oldenburg who ruled as King of Denmark-Norway from 1588 to 1648. His reign of more than 59 years is the longest of all Danish monarchs. Christian began his personal rule of Denmark in 1596 at the age of 19. He is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious, and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects. However, his personal obsession with witchcraft led to the public execution of some of his innocent subjects, leading to the greatest number of deaths in Denmark during the Burning Times. He renamed the Norwegian capital Oslo as Christiania after himself, a name used until 1925. Unique Components Kontreadmiral The Kontreadmiral is the highest active rank in Danish and Norwegian navies and is usually awarded to the head of a command. The rank is equivalent to a Major General in air or ground forces. Kontreadmiral literally means “rear” or “under” admiral, signifying that the rank is below that of the Admiral. The term was coined by the Dutch first as Schoutbynaut, meaning “Supervisor of the night”. In 1771, the term was adopted in Denmark-Norway under the reign of Christian VII. Ski Infantry These intrepid infantrymen were employed heavily by Denmark against Sweden during the Napoleonic Wars of 1807-1814. Comparable in speed to light cavalry, these soldiers were capable of traversing the mountainsides and snow-covered fields much faster than anyone else on foot or horseback. Besides being able to cross forested and rocky terrain efficiently, the ski infantry were also used to pull wagons of supplies or even other squads of soldiers, as the lack of roads and deep snow made traditional horse travel difficult. Their first recorded usage dates back to roughly the 13th century. Today, the ski infantry are still used by the Danish Navy to patrol large stretches of northern and eastern Greenland, areas of which are too rugged for most other forms of transportation. In Norway, every soldier in the army is still trained in the art of ski combat, and the Biathlon sporting event was inspired and developed from their military training and patrol routes. Category:Denmark Category:Norway Category:JFD Category:Civilopedia Entries